I expect 7th or 8th seed. The Pacers game certainly doesn't lower my expectations, losing to the 5th best team in the league, one that gels well and has played together for a while...not a big dissapointment.

I think the ideal situation would be to barely miss the 8th spot and finish 9th overall in the conference. The Raptors then end the season with the knowledge that we can make the playoffs if we push harder, along with some internal development. The Thunder (formerly Rockets) pick is dealt with as well, giving us the opportunity to deal a draft pick again if necessary.

I don't think anyone should have any expectations as far as win totals go. That's just a bit too short-sighted.

The only thing that really matters this year is development. Whether the team squeaks into the playoffs or not, it's far more important that JV learns and adjusts, that Bargs shows he can defend, that DeRozan does more than occasionally put the ball in the basket, that Fields can fix his shot, etc. Since most of the team's players are locked up long-term at this point, I just want to see them live up to their contracts. Whether that happens immediately or half-way through the season doesn't matter, as long as the consistency and chemistry is there at the end of the season so that it can carry over into next year, when things will really start to matter.

I expect 7th or 8th seed. The Pacers game certainly doesn't lower my expectations, losing to the 5th best team in the league, one that gels well and has played together for a while...not a big dissapointment.

on the contrary we shoot 36% et they shot 47% and we lost by 2 they are suppose to be a contender so as far as i am concerned i just prove we are as goo as we say we are and look like a playoff team(fields was dissapointing tho)

I don't think anyone should have any expectations as far as win totals go. That's just a bit too short-sighted.

The only thing that really matters this year is development. Whether the team squeaks into the playoffs or not, it's far more important that JV learns and adjusts, that Bargs shows he can defend, that DeRozan does more than occasionally put the ball in the basket, that Fields can fix his shot, etc. Since most of the team's players are locked up long-term at this point, I just want to see them live up to their contracts. Whether that happens immediately or half-way through the season doesn't matter, as long as the consistency and chemistry is there at the end of the season so that it can carry over into next year, when things will really start to matter.

No one forces any GM to pay any contract aside from the league forcing a team to meet a salary floor.

Sports teams, in general, and ofcourse basketball in particular, spend alot of time overpaying for players. As such its easy to try and justify player X because of what player Y is making. But that doesn't mean player X is actually worth the money they get or are offered.

There are alot of 'max contracts' out in the league, and very few of them are deserved. This isn't like buying a nick nack to put up on your shelf, or collecting sports cards because you are a collector, and if you want the one and only Joe Shmoo mint condition rookie card you have to pay the highest price. These players are commodities who offer a service. That service has a level of production that is replacable.

As much as I like Lowry, even considering paying him a max deal is more than a bit ludicrous. Yes someone like Joe Johnson may be getting a max, and Lowry may be as good or better than him, but unless Lowry's production is close to or better than what you could otherwise spend those dollars on, you aren't helping the team win more games.

So are max contracts the cost of doing business? No. They are a cost GMs/Owners individually decide to take on.

hopefully we can resign lowry, not a max player, don't like rapto fans who think he's the greatest thing ever

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

I love what we've done with improving the roster but also agree with other posters that the roster is still in need of further tweeking (especially at small forward and shooting guard). I think this year we will take a step forward and get better, but the problem is, so will all of the other teams in the atlantic division, and dare I say, they'll probably take bigger strides forward than us. Since we have to play these teams 4 times each over the course of the season, I can see a lot of hard fought games and I think we'll win some but we'll also lose quite a few (but like last year, they won't be blowouts - competitive, but still loses). Take a look at the season opener - a close game, but we lost. I can see a whole lot of that happening this year. But hey, as long as we're getting better and being competitive, I'm happy. Silver lining to the cloud of losing a lot of close games? - higher draft pick to get a small forward!